Meat tendering machine



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s sheets-sheet 1 A 0MM-few,

Dec. 28, 1948. A. H. AHRNDT AMLM TENDERING MACHINE Filed sept. 9, 1944 Dec. 28, 1948. A. H. AHRNDT 2,457,622l

MEAT TENDERING MACHINE Filed sept. 9, 1944 s sheets-sheet 2 Dec. 28, 1948. A,y H, AHRNDT I 2,457,622

. MEAT TENDERING MACHINE l Filed sept. 9, 1944 s sheets-sheet l5` -to receive the collar 48 and the nut 49. internally threaded collar 50 and internally y each ofthe shafts 44 and 45. comprises ball bearings 6i and162, respectively,

obviously rotate in opposite directions and the arrangement of parts is such that the direction is downwardly in the central mating portion of Fig. 2.

A collar 36 is screwed upon a threaded portion of the shaft I9 and is positioned so as to abut and bear against the inner end of the bearing and thus co-operate with the collar 24 to maintain the shaft i9 against sliding movement within the bearing 20. The inner right end of the shaft 3l is provided with a similar collar 31 which co-operates with the pinion 28- to prevent sliding movement of the shaft 3i Within the bearing 34. y

Collars 36 and 31 are provided with axially extending pins 38 and 39, respectively, and with driving pins 4D and 4l, respectively, which are 4 for the invention is subject to such changes and alterations as may appear feasible and desirable to the person using the Within invention. The novelty of applicants disclosure consists mainly in the structure for mounting the driven shaft 3l and the front knife assembly 43.

During normal operation the knife assemblies are urged toward eachother so as to tender the meat which is fed between the assemblies. If, however, an unusually thick or particularly tough piece of meat is fed into the machine, there would be a tendency to stall the machine and possibly spaced radially from and extend in a direction parallel with that of the pins 38 and 39.

Knife assembly mountings The knife assembly drive mechanism just described is used to rotate a rear and a front knife assembly 42 and 43, respectively (Figs. 1 and 2). These knife assemblies comprise a hexagonal knife shaft 44 and 45, respectively, and a plurality of circular serrated cutting knives 46.' The knife blades are separated'from each other by spacers 41. The knife blades 46 and their spacers ,41 are secured to the rear knife shaft 44 between an" --internally vthreaded collar 48 at the left-hand end ofthe rear knife shaft and an internally threaded nut 49 at the right-hand end of the shaft (Figs. 2 and 3). The hexagonal shaft is reduced at its left and right-hand ends respectively, and is provided with threaded portions A similar threaded nut 5l maintain the knife blades 46 andthe spacers 41- upon the front knife shaft 45.

The hexagonal knife shafts44jand 45 have parallel axes and are each provided with a centrally disposed axially extending hole 52 adapted to receive the pins38 and 39. Collars 48 and `5i) are each provided with a plurality of circumferentially' disposed spaced holes 53 adapted to lreceive the driving pins andl4l, a plurality of holes being provided to facilitate mounting of the shafts in an operating position.

The right-hand ends of the knife shafts `44 and are provided'with bearings 54 and 55,

respectively. The bearings 54 and 55 are'rigidly vsecured to theirk respective shafts and are journaled within sleeves 56 and 51, respectively.

These sleeves are mounted within bearings 58 and 59, respectively, said bearings being securely fastened against rotation. Each of the sleeves 156 ,and 51 has a knob 6D provided with means to hold each sleeve within its respective bearing. The bearings 54 and 55 are in axial alignment withf the` bearings 2.6i and 34, respectively, and thus :secure the knife shafts 44 and 45 for rotation in a suitable parallelrelationship.

An adjustable'thrust bearing is provided for This thrust bearing' which are arranged to engage the right-hand ends of theknife shafts 44 and 45 and'to bear y against adjusting screws 63 provided in the' knobs ftion may be used.` Naturally, the environment burn out the motor or damage some of the other operating parts. Applicants invention provides means for preventing any damage due to an overload whichincorporates a novel knife assembly mounting mechanism so that the knife assemblies may be moved out of engagement in the vevent of an overload and thereby disconnect the drive from the motor to the knife assemblies.

Front knife assembly mounting assembly of -the mounting arm, the bearing, and

those portionsof the mechanism rotatably supported by the bearings are pivotally mounted to the left-hand bracket Il bymeans of a pivot 61 atA the lower end of the left-hand mounting .arm 65. This pivot may be of any desired construction and, as illustrated, comprises a screw 68 and a nut 69. The right-hand mounting arm 66 is similarly pivoted at 10and forms a support I for the right-,hand front bearing 59 and all operating parts carried thereby. y l

Throughthe use of this pivoted mounting, the entire front knife assembly and its operating mechanism comprising the driven. gear 21, the pinion 28, the driven shaft 3|, the front bearing 34, the knife assembly 43,- and the right front bearing 55 may be moved toward and awayy from their vcompanion elements at the rear of the machine. When they are' moved away from each other, the pinion 22 and the driven gear 21 are disengaged and the pulley' I8 is free to rotate v without imparting any `motion to the rest `of the machine. Similarly, the pinion 28 and the gear 35 are disengaged vand the front and vrear knife assemblies 43 and 42-are disengaged. A

lsuitable slot 1I (Figs. 1 and 2) is-provided in each of the right and left-hand brackets lll and Il to permit Athis transverse movement.

The front and rear knifeassemblies 43 and 42` together withA their respective mountings `and operating mechanism, are urged toward each tother bymeans of springs 12 (Figs,'1 andv 3).

These ysprings are located at each end of the machineand :are secured between studs-13 and studs 14. The studs 13 are mounted upon the mounting arms 65 and 66y and the studs 14 are supported bythe brackets `Il and il). The tension of the springs 12 acts upon the yarms 65 vand. 66 and urges .the parts carried by the arms into engagement with their co-operating elements carried by the brackets Il and I0. f

The upper ends of the mounting arms and transverse movements of the front knife assembly 23 and its companion mechanism.

Operation of machine Power in transmitted through the V-belts I 'I, to the pulley I8. This pulley together with the pinion 22 attached thereto revolves freely on the and easily remove the offending food article. As

knife drive shaft I9 and its rotation is transmitted from the pinion 22 to the driven gear 27. The driven gear 21 rotates its companion pinion 28 and the driven shaft 3|, and the pinion 28 rotates the gear A35 and the knife drive shaft I9. The rotation of the driven shaft 3l and the knife drive shaft I9 rotates the front and rear knife assemblies 43 and 42, respectively. During the normal operation of the machine,

the tension of the springs 12 will maintain thisY drive mechanism in engagement and if the food substance, such as a piece of meat, is dropped into the opening I and the chute I6, it will -be tendered by the action of the knife blades 46 of the knife assemblies. If, however, the food substance is beyond the capacity of the machine, such as a piece of meat containing a bone or a piece of meat which is too tough or thick for the knife assemblies, it will tend to Spread the knife assemblies apart against the tension of the springs 12. When this is done, the driven gear 21, the pinion 28 and the front knife assembly 43 will all be moved out of engagement with the pinion 22, the gear and the rear knife assembly 42, respectively. Disengagement of the pinion 22 and the gear 2'I disconnects all flow of power to the knife assemblies and disengagement of the pinion 28 and the gear 35 permits the two knife assemblies to be independently rotated to permit an easy Withdrawal of the food particle causing the overload.

The applicants overload mechanism instantly disconnects the ow of power when an overload condition prevails. This prevents damage to the motor and prevents strain upon the other opersoon as the food article has been removed, the springs I2 will re-engage the operating mechanism of the machine, the power may be reconnected, and the machine is again ready for normal operation.

yChanges may be made in the form, construction and arrangement of the parts without departing from the spirit of the invention,v and the right is hereby reserved to make all such changes as fairly fall within the scope of the following claim.

The invention is hereby claimed as follows:

In a meat tendering machine having a base and a movable element, a plurality of rotatable knife assemblies, one of which is Vmounted upon said base, and another upon said movable element, a drive pulley rotatably mounted upon the lbase of the machine, a pinion mounted upon the base of the machine for rotation with said drive pulley and operatively related to said one of the knife assemblies, a driven gear mounted upon said movable element and operatively related to the other knife assembly for engagement with said pinion, a second pinion kmounted upon said movable element for rotation With said driven gear, and a second driven gear mounted upon the base of the machine and operatively related to said one of the knife assemblies and adapted to engage said second mentioned pinion, said pinions being disengaged from their respective driven gears whenever the meat tendering machine is overloaded.

ARTHUR H. AI-IRNDT.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the le of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS 

